Real-world treatments and thrombotic events in polycythemia vera patients in the USA

[Manouche]

 »The majority of patients in both risk groups (60% of high-risk and 83% of low-risk) initiated treatment with phlebotomy monotherapy, and during a median follow-up period of 808 days, the vast majority (81% low-risk, 74% high-risk) maintained their original therapy during the follow-up period.

Hematocrit control was suboptimal in both risk groups; 54% of high-risk patients initiating with phlebotomy monotherapy sometimes/always had HCT levels > 50%; among low-risk patients, 64% sometimes/always had HCT levels above 50%.

Overall, 16% of individuals experienced at least 1 TE subsequent to treatment initiation, 20% (n = 3920) among high-risk and 8% (n = 629) among low-risk patients.

This real-world study suggests that currently available PV treatments may not be used to full advantage »

link.springer.com/article/1...

[hunter5582]

Very interesting article

[EPguy]

Consistent with what we've been learning, Plb is not the best long term solution. The alternative was HU. Missing are the more recent options of IFN and Rux.

"High-risk patients initiating treatment with phlebotomy monotherapy were associated with the most unfavorable HCT results" and "Among ... low-risk patients retaining phlebotomy monotherapy, HCT results were the least favorable, ..."